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2021 Cadillac Escalade "Lowrider" Is Real, Sits on 30-Inch Wheels

Kim Kardashian's new custom 4x4 is not the boldest 2021 Escalade any longer! We just found what's probably the only lowrider of its kind, a Cadillac SUV riding so low it's practically a skateboard with a motor.
2021 Cadillac Escalade "Lowrider" Is Real, Sits on 30-Inch Wheels 5 photos
Photo: Phat Phabz
2021 Cadillac Escalade "Lowrider" Is Real, Sits on 30-Inch Wheels2021 Cadillac Escalade "Lowrider" Is Real, Sits on 30-Inch Wheels2021 Cadillac Escalade "Lowrider" Is Real, Sits on 30-Inch Wheels2021 Cadillac Escalade "Lowrider" Is Real, Sits on 30-Inch Wheels
Lowrider car culture started in Los Angeles in the late 1940s. During the post-war boom, Mexican-American young drivers began cutting their springs, notching frames, and messing with the suspension arms to get their cars sitting super-lower.

It was an anti-statement that California legislators didn't like, and a law was passed to essentially ban lowriders. Hydraulic suspension systems were developed as an answer, the community flourished and the rest is history, filled with lots of cool Chevy Impalas and Cadillacs.

You'd think there's absolutely no way to connect the old style of customization with modern GM products. But just like they did in the Box Chevy era, lowriders always find an innovation. This is the kind of thing that makes you go "look grandpa, it's just like your car, only a 2021 Escalade."

The kids probably like it too. It's like Hot Wheels in the real world. Getting dropped off in a low-rider Cadillac SUV must make you the talk of the playground.

This build is the work of Jake McKiddie's Phat Phabz of Oklahoma. If you've ever seen a truck at SEMA and wondered how the hell they got it that low, it's probably done by them. And while the Escalade is one of the most modern, feature-rich SUVs in America, it basically works like a truck.

To make any modern low-rider, you need a special frame with notches where the wheels sit. This allows them to go up and down using airbags and explains how the Escalade is even able to take corners or go through a drive-through.

But that's not all. As you can probably tell, the wheels on this bad boy are way bigger than stock, we're guessing those billet alloys are pretty big, 30 inches, according to one video. To make them fit, much taller wheel wells need to be installed. And for that, the whole interior is stripped and chopped up. The soundproofing and upholstery are changed accordingly, perhaps even the rear seats.

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About the author: Mihnea Radu
Mihnea Radu profile photo

Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
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